Jakobův žebřík v Milevsku

Sermon 6th October 2024 

Dear sisters and dear brothers,

I chose today's reading thematically for the ongoing exhibition YOU WILL HAVE SHOES ON YOUR FEET AND A STAFF IN YOUR HAND. I titled today's sermon "Encounters with God Change Lives".

All three biblical stories show us how an encounter with God can profoundly transform human life. These stories remind us that God is still active in our lives and, despite all our transgressions and falls, still desires to meet with us.

First, let's look at Jacob (Gen 28:10-19), who falls asleep in a desolate place while fleeing from his brother. In that most vulnerable moment, when he is alone, God appears to him in a dream. He sees a ladder connecting heaven and earth - a symbol of God's presence and constant care. How many times do we feel lonely and vulnerable? We see our transgressions, our failures, and our bodies are paralyzed by fear that prevents us from seeing Hope. It is in these moments that God can be closest to us. Jacob's experience teaches us that even in the darkest moments of our lives, God is with us and offers us His presence and promise.

Later, we see Jacob wrestling with a mysterious figure (Gen 32:25-31). This struggle symbolizes Jacob's inner struggle with God and with himself. From this encounter, Jacob emerges transformed - with a new name, Israel, but also with a physical injury. This story reminds us that a true encounter with God is not always easy. It can be painful, it can change us, but it always moves us closer to our true selves and thus to Knowledge itself, to God. I would compare this transformation of a person to the metamorphosis of a butterfly. At the beginning, there is a caterpillar barely crawling and eating everything that comes its way. It knows nothing but its surroundings. Then it cocoons. To the outside world, it seems motionless, dead. After a short time, however, the cocoon breaks, and out comes a beautiful butterfly that discovers a world previously unknown. This is how it is with knowing God, which turns us into butterflies that can explore the world. To discover its beauty and diversity.

Finally, we move to the New Testament (John 1:38-51), where Jesus calls his first disciples. Here we see Jesus actively seeking out and inviting people to follow him. The disciples recognize him as the promised Messiah. Here we can see that God is constantly seeking and calling us. He doesn't give up on anyone; He has His divine plan for everyone, which He presents to us in our lives. It's up to us whether we join Him. Jesus knows each of us personally, just as He knew His disciples. And just like the disciples, we are invited to recognize Jesus as the Son of God and follow Him.

Sisters and brothers, these stories remind us that God desires a relationship with us. Whether we feel lonely like Jacob on the run, struggle with inner conflicts, or search for the meaning of life like the disciples, God is ready to meet us and lend us His helping hand.
Let us be inspired by these stories. Let us be open to God's calling in our lives. Let us not be afraid to wrestle with God when we go through difficult times. And above all, let us be prepared that an encounter with God can profoundly change us.

Let us remember that just as Jesus was the "ladder" connecting heaven and earth, we too are called to be a bridge between God and the world around us. May God strengthen us in this mission and may we always be open to His transforming presence in our lives. So let us have a pilgrim's staff in our hand and proper shoes on our feet.

Amen.

Sermon by Br. Vladimír V. Karbusický


Sermon on September 1st, 2024

Dear brothers, dear sisters,
Today's words from the Gospel of Mark (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23) invite us to a deeper understanding and reflection on our relationship with God and with ourselves and others.
In our text, Jesus encounters the Pharisees and scribes who criticize his disciples for not observing traditional cleansing rituals. This situation shows us how easily we can slip into formalism in our faith, but also in the actions of our lives. How many times do we also focus more on outward appearances than on the actual content?
Jesus warns us, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (Mk 7:6) Please let us reflect on whether what we do are not just empty gestures and thus our hearts are not transformed into love and understanding of others.
Another important point that Jesus emphasizes is the difference between God's commandments and human traditions. He says, "You have forsaken the commandments of God and are clinging to the traditions of men." (Mk 7:8)
How often do we too hold on to our customs and traditions without thinking about their real meaning? Traditions then become an empty shell without enriching us and connecting us to our ancestors. Are we not also forgetting the essence of God's message of love and mercy?
Jesus teaches us that what really pollutes us is not from without, but from within. "Nothing that enters a man from without can defile him; but what comes out of a man defiles him." (Mk 7:15)
This is a revolutionary idea that calls us to deep self-examination. It is not external circumstances that make us sinful, but our own thoughts, words and actions. We must always remember that the Word creates. God created and creates by the Word, by thought. Man, born in the image of God, also creates in a limited way by the Word. Just as we can encourage by the Word, we can also stomp a man into the ground by the Word. It is sometimes difficult, and even I have to be careful that I do not sometimes react rashly with words. I always keep in mind, don't get angry. Wait, leave this moment to the Lord. Wait at least an hour, if not until the next day. Then respond with your words, perhaps it is not as it seems now. I also find the words of Jesus helpful, from Mark's Gospel, when he said to Peter: "Get out of my way, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me." I recommend saying them in your mind, not out loud.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus' words call us to honesty and authenticity. It's not about what we look like on the outside, but what we are on the inside.
Let us please focus on our inner transformation. Let us ask God for a pure heart and a sincere mind.
Let us remember that true piety comes from the heart and is manifested in love for God and neighbor. May the Holy Spirit lead us to a deeper knowledge of God's will and to life. 
Amen.

the sermon of Brother Vladimir V. Karbusicky

Nová synagoga

Sermon on August 4th 

Dear brothers and sisters, 
The evangelium of John (Jn 6:26-36) brings us reflections on the spiritual life and on who Jesus is for us. What his words, his message, mean to us. 
How many times in our lives have we felt full, yet empty after a while? I mean, for example, satiation, contentment with a new thing we bought. 
Jesus reminds us in this text that there is a hunger that ordinary bread cannot satisfy. It is a hunger for meaning, for fulfillment, for eternity. "Do not strive for food that is perishable," Jesus tells us, "but for food that endures to eternal life." These words invite us to reflect on what we are really seeking and longing for in life. 
What fills us so that our souls are touched with inner joy. Jesus presents himself to us as the "bread of life". What does this mean? Just as the classic bread nourishes our body, Jesus, Jesus' words, thoughts nourish our soul. He shows us the way as he showed his apostles, namely to follow our hearts, to think and build our inner temple. 
Elsewhere in the Bible we read that the apostles did not always understand his words and kept asking him, "What shall we do?" We too sometimes ask ourselves, others, what we should do. Let us try to stop sometimes, as we have done here today, and listen to our inner self. Jesus makes it clear that what God asks of us is faith. Not elaborate rituals or exacting deeds, but simple trust. This faith is not blind. It is based on who Jesus is and what he has done and is doing for us. It is a faith that is life changing and brings inner freedom. My beloved, we face the same challenge as the people in this story. We see Jesus, we hear his words. But do we believe him? Do we accept him as the bread of life? Let's think about what really feeds our souls. 
Let us not be swept from our path by the crowd that sometimes runs madly after a mirage, only to run again after another. We follow our heart, which will help us to overcome all difficulties. Amen.

the sermon of Brother Vladimir V. Karbusicky